ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
നായി നടുക്കടലിൽചെന്നാലും നക്കീട്ടെകുടിക്കൂ”
— English Translation:
Even if a dog reaches the middle of the ocean, it will still only lap the water with its tongue. (Inborn nature and base habits cannot change regardless of vast abundance; one takes only according to one's limited disposition.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നാട്ടാൽപാതി കോട്ടായി ഇല്ലാ”
— English Translation:
If properly planted, half the loss is averted. (Careful, timely foundation work eliminates the majority of operational risks.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നായിനെകാണുമ്പോൾ കല്ലുകാണുകയില്ല, കല്ലുകാണുമ്പോൾ നായിനെ കാണുകയില്ല”
— English Translation:
When you spot the dog there is no stone at hand, and when you find a stone the dog is nowhere to be seen. (Resources and opportunities rarely align; means and targets never seem to coincide at the right moment.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നാണിക്കുണ്ടൊ വിദ്യയുണ്ടാവു”
— English Translation:
Can a bashful, timid person ever acquire mastery in learning? (Knowledge demands active inquiry and bold questioning; excessive shyness obstructs education.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നായിപത്തുപെറ്റിട്ടുംഫലമില്ല, പശു ഒന്നുപോറ്റാലുംമതി”
— English Translation:
No good comes from a dog whelping ten pups, while rearing a single calf is a lasting blessing. (Quality far outweighs quantity; a single noble, productive asset is worth far more than a multitude of worthless ones.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നാണമില്ലാത്തവന്റെ ആസനത്തിലൊരാലു കിളുത്താൽ അതുമൊരുതണലു”
— English Translation:
If a banyan tree sprouts from a shameless man's rear, he merely rejoices in the shade. (A thoroughly shameless person is so stripped of dignity that he twists even humiliating public disgrace into a boast.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നായുടെവാൽ കുഴലിലിട്ടാൽ നിവരുമൊ”
— English Translation:
If you slide a dog's tail into an iron tube, will it ever straighten out? (What is crooked by nature can never be reformed; inherent flaws and stubborn vices resist all straightening.)

“”
— English Translation:
A shameless person cannot be made into a monstrous spectacle (he is already shameless). (A person completely dead to public opinion cannot be intimidated or disgraced by outward theater.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നാഥനില്ലാത്ത കളരിപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like a martial arts arena without a master. (A state of complete anarchy, chaos, and lawlessness where discipline has vanished because no one is in command.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നാഥനില്ലാത്തനിലത്തു പട ആകാ”
— English Translation:
A battle cannot be waged on land that has no master. (Orderly conduct, legitimate struggle, and collective enterprises cannot succeed without recognized authority and direction.)

“”
— English Translation:
An army without a commander is a rabble of dogs. (A leaderless force quickly degenerates into an undisciplined, chaotic mob.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നാന്തല ഇല്ല കോന്തല ഇല്ല”
— English Translation:
Possessing neither the tip of a tongue nor a coin in the hem of one's cloth. (Completely destitute of both persuasive wit and financial means.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നായകംപറിച്ച പതക്കൻപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like a medallion stripped of its central gemstone. (Devoid of its primary virtue, guiding light, or essential strength; hollowed out and ruined.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നാക്കുള്ളവൻ കഴുവേറുകയില്ല”
— English Translation:
He who is gifted with eloquence will never mount the gallows. (Quick wit, diplomacy, and persuasive speech can talk a person out of the deadliest perils.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നായാട്ടുനായ്ക്കൾ തമ്മിൽകടിച്ചാൽ പന്നി കുന്നുകയറും”
— English Translation:
If the hunting dogs fight among themselves, the wild boar escapes up the hill. (When allies quarrel with each other, the common adversary slips away unnoticed.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നാടില്ലാത്തവൻ ആനവളർത്തരുതു”
— English Translation:
He who owns no broad lands should not keep an elephant. (Do not undertake grand, expensive luxuries unless you possess the underlying wealth to sustain them.)